Trading Channel	Australia	Melbourne
Asian Restaurants	1996	1995
	Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis) Chinese chard (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis) Chinese broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) Chinese spinach (Amaranthus gangeticus)	Chinese broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) Chinese chard (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis) Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis) Chinese spinach (Amaranthus gangeticus)
Asian Grocery Stores	1996	1995
	Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis) Chinese chard (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis) Chinese broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) Water convolvulus (Ipomoea aquatica)	Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis) Chinese chard (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) Chinese broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis) Water convolvulus (Ipomoea aquatica)
Super- markets	1996	1997
	Shallots (Allium cepa var. aggregatum) Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis) Chinese chard (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis) Chinese broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra)	Chinese broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra), Shanghai Chinese chard (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis), Vietnamese lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. crispa), Baby Chinese chard (Brassica rapa var. chinensis), Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis), Mustard green (Brassica juncea var. rugosa)

* The above data is based on a survey conducted by Connectica International.
For more details, see this issue's Pick from the Book Shelf.

HAIRY MELON (Benincasa hispida) *

Hairy or Fuzzy Melon (Benincasa hispida var. chieh-qua) also known as 'chit/mo kwa' in Cantonese and 'bi chanh' in Vietnamese is the immature fruit of a variety of winter/wax melon (see Access to Asian Vegetables Issue 2, Sep. 1997) also known as 'jointed gourd'. It is an annual climber spreading to 450 cm. The term 'hairy' comes from the down-like soft hair cover. It is cylindrical in shape and narrowed in the centre about 23 cm long and 11 cm across. The skin of the fruit is green in colour and some varieties may have light green speckles on the skin. Each fruit weighs up to 600 grams. The leaves are hairy, hard-textured, palm-shaped, five to seven lobed and about 21 cm long and 20 cm wide. The flowers are yellow in colour.

Cultivation
The optimum growing temperature for hairy melon is 23-28 ºC with the growth duration between 80-100 days. It is drought tolerant. Maintain the night temperature higher than 10 ºC for the first few weeks after germination. Once it is 15-20 cm tall, they can be planted in their permanent position. If growing upright, allow 60 cm between plant and if trailing allow spacing of 2.5-3 metres. Plants start to flower 60-80 days after planting. Hand pollination is recommended in cold climates as young fruits may yellow and drop off instead of developing. Pick fruit (10-20 cm long) about 90 days after sowing, when still covered in silky hairs.

Preparation
Hairy melon on its own has a bland flavour. It has a fine-grained texture which when cooked softens quickly and absorbs the flavours it is cooked in. It is appropriate for summer dishes and suitable for all ages. A Chinese doctor once described it as "the most neutral vegetable ... suitable for consumption year round to clear toxic heat in all internal organs".
Wash and peel or remove the hair by scrubbing or rubbing with paper towelling. Cut into half for steaming. For stir-frying or braising, cut into thick strips about 0.5 cm thick and 5 cm long.

Western Cooking
Hairy melon can be steamed, boiled, braised, sautéed, baked, pickled, stuffed with minced meat and/or vegetables, and eaten raw.

Chinese Cooking
It can be stir-fried with chicken, beef, pork , fish and/or vegetables and/or dried foods. Add ginger, spring onions and stock for flavour if stir-fried alone.

* [For additional information see also our Vegetable Thesaurus]

DOMESTIC MARKET INFORMATION

The following graph is based on the 1996 average wholesale price in Sydney and Melbourne retail price from March 1995 to October 1997:

Hairy melon is mainly grown in Queensland and the Northern Territory. In the Melbourne retail outlets, supply is not consistent with prices fluctuating according to interstate supplies.

PICK FROM THE BOOK SHELF

In each newsletter we will present a brief summary on one of RIRDC's publications on Asian Foods. This month's issue looks at

Australian Asian Vegetables -
An Assessment of Market Demand in Australia
Barry Lee, Connectica International
RIRDC Research Paper 96/7, $25 ($6 p&h) 50 pages

Documents the results of 183 interviews with Asian restaurant managers, grocery stores and supermarkets in Sydney and Melbourne. Shows that the markets for Asian vegetables in Sydney and Melbourne alone are growing at a rate of more than 20 per cent annually. While Asian restaurants currently account for 50% of the trade, supermarkets expect the largest increase in annual demand.

The book can be purchased from
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC)
P O Box 4776, Kingston, ACT 2600, Phone: (02) 6272 4539, Fax: (02) 6272 5877
Webpage: http://www.rirdc.gov.au/

For more RIRDC publications see our 'Asian Foods' Newsletter.